One Fell Swoop Circus and Gasworks Arts Park presents a thrilling new work, In Common, this October, as part of the 2023 Melbourne Fringe Festival.
In Common sees an impossible eight-metre sculpture made of steel and rope brought to life by eight acrobats using the company’s signature style of acrobatics – heartfelt, powerful, and intimate.
Using techniques from circus apparatus such as Chinese pole, tightwire, slackrope, corde lisse and aerial straps, the ensemble performs feats of daring within the steel poles of the structure, which were designed by a company that makes roll cages for fire trucks.
Virtuosic acrobatics and intricate choreography performed by the majority female cast who all trained and met at NICA, guide you through a visceral understanding of the care we owe others in our community and the safety nets we collectively weave.
“The idea started when we saw a tensegrity sculpture by Kenneth Snelson. We were really struck by the way the poles of the sculpture seemed to hang in the air impossibly, held together only by wire and tension,” said One Fell Swoop Co Founder, Jonathan Morgan.
“We were interested in the way this mirrors circus as an artform, with feats that look impossible and also parallels with the human body, the way it is held together with tendons and ligaments.”
“Finally we see this tying into the work more broadly with the tensions and structures we form in communities to make the world a place we can all live in together,” said Morgan.
In a unique cross-city event, In Common will be performed at three different public locations across Melbourne for each week of the Fringe – all performances are free and outdoors.
Experience this exciting new work in the garden parklands of Gasworks Arts Park, the buzzing Nicholson St Mall in Footscray, or the Amphitheatre at Fed Square in the heart of the CBD.
One Fell Swoop Circus founders Charice Rust and Jonathan Morgan have been working together for over 10 years. Their highly reviewed and award-winning past works include By A Thread and Kilter.
One Fell Swoop Circus will present In Common at Gasworks Arts Park, Albert Park (6 – 8 October), Nicholson St Mall, Footscray (12 – 15 October), and Federation Square, Melbourne (18 – 22 October). Tickets are free – bookings are essential. For more information, visit: www.melbournefringe.com.au or www.onefellswoopcircus.com for details.
Image: One Fell Swoop Circus presents In Common – photo by Daniel Rabin Photography